Two Flowers
by ConNopales
Summary: Kidnapped just before class 1-A's training camp, Bakugou is touched by a quirk that leaves his life in the balance. With only days to figure a way out, he finds himself completely at Uraraka's mercy and no way to reach her. Oblivious to Bakugou's plight, Uraraka sits at home trying to distract herself from the creeping feeling that she's not alone. :: Canon Divergence ::
1. Cempasúchil

A little context. This short story pulls elements from Dia de Muertos. BUT it does not have anything to do with the actual holiday (mostly). Instead, it has a quirk that is based on it. Don't get picky with me for taking artistic license with my own culture. XD

Also note: The pronoun "they" is not me sucking at grammar. And the 'x' sound in Xochitl is pronounced 'sho'.

* * *

The only shitty thing about gym nights were the evening bus schedules, and waiting for stupid transfers. On the flipside of that, Bakugou enjoyed the peace and quiet as he waited on a bench beneath the light of a street lamp.

Next, it was home, bed, and then camp in two days.

The start of a great week.

"Hey, I know you. You're that kid the sludge monster captured, and you won the UA Sports Fest!"

People always had smart shit to say about the sludge monster, but Bakugou wasn't in much of a mood to hear someone pop off. "What of it?" He turned to see who dared disturb his summer evening.

Taller and lean, maybe older; the intruder's skin held a hint of blush highlighting russet from what he could see by the lamplight. What stood out the most was their hair, colored like fertile soil from which brilliant orange and yellow flowers sprouted, threading through a braid down their back like a trellis.

"Nothin' man. I'm glad you won, your quirk is amazing! But it shouldn't have gone down like it did, sucks what they did to you."

Bakugou gave a grunt and a nod, pulling out his phone to put some tunes between him and this person. Though, it was cool to meet someone who understood how the festival sucked. Positive recognition for it wasn't something he was used to.

The person took a step toward him and pulled their braid forward. "Here. Bakugou Katsuki, right? I'm Xochimitl. My friends call me Xochitl." They finished their name with a slight puff of air through the back of their cheeks.

Bakugou eyed Xochitl suspiciously, to which they laughed while carefully feeling along their hair to harvest a yellow bloom from the strands. They held it out to Bakugou with a casual smile, like they knew the explosive teen would have a hard time accepting it. "It's native to my land, called Cempasuchil. It's a symbol of success for some and a gift, from me to you, for being such an inspiration. Take it." they offered.

Hesitant for just a moment Bakugou accepted it, mumbling a, "Sure," under his breath.

It's petals were gathered in a plump arrangement, the edges like waves in a skirt.

It was a beautiful flower.

"It's also a symbol of death, to help remember those that came before, and light the path for them to return to us during these Dias de Muertos." Bakugou heard, and his hands buzzed with the drop in his stomach as he looked up into the shiny brown of their eyes, instantly settling into a fighting stance.

Xochitl looked on Bakugou softly. "Everything's gonna be okay. I'll make sure someone wakes you, in case anything happens to me."

"What the…" fuck are you talking about, Bakugou was trying to ask and push a spark of explosion at the same time. But he couldn't speak. He couldn't move.

He felt slow and airy, somewhere halfway between awake and asleep.

And everything went dark.

* * *

Stirring with a groan, Bakugou felt like he'd both just woken up and never been asleep, as if he simply, was.

"What the hell..." he grunted, sitting up, barely able to make out anything in the dark of...a forest? "...is going on?"

The sound of metal hitting earth perked his ears, and he looked behind him to see the person from earlier, "Sho...cheet" was it, digging? Nevermind seeing them, it was the thing on the ground beside Xochitl that made Bakugou go numb.

"Hey…" he called out, half crawling and clawing his way over to the young man in a rush, hands trembling at the sight of what was at their feet, too afraid to touch.

"What the fuck are you doing?! Is that…" Bakugou shouted at first, voice dropping to a murmur as he tried to understand.

It looked like him, but it couldn't be. His eyes closed, body limp and unbreathing, sprawled face up on some forest floor. "...is that me?" Bakugou finished, looking from the body on the ground to his own while Xochitl ignored him.

In a fit, he raised a hand to summon his quirk, ready to destroy the one responsible.

But nothing came.

Again and again, while the stranger dug, Bakugou attempted to call on his power. Trying to pull from the ball of energy always swirling inside ready to light someone up.

And still, it was like he was cut off from himself. He felt nothing.

So he squared up to Xochitl, who continued to dig, no matter how close Bakugou stepped into their space. The lack of reaction reflected the cold Bakugou felt inside, and he tried to hide his fear, keeping his voice low and menacing. "Hey! I'm talking to you!" Still nothing.

Bakugou screamed, "Ya' Hear Me?!" pushing open palms at Xochitl's chest, fingers clenching to grasp but hitting nothing.

They simply moved right through.

He couldn't be..."TELL ME! NOW!" He choked out, throat tight with pressure as his eyes pricked with wet heat and he backed away, tangling his hands in the fabric of his shirt, trying desperately to feel for his heartbeat. "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO ME!"

He refused to believe...

"I know you're there." Xochitl interrupted, muscles tight as they worked. Bakugou tensed. "But I can't hear you, so just listen."

Bakugou waited, trying to calm down.

"I need you to know - this is temporary. I learned from someone I thought was a friend that he was coordinating with an informant to attack U.A. students at a training camp. He tried to recruit me, and I found out you were their main target." They stopped, breathing a bit heavy as they measured the hole with their eyes.

"He won't suspect my involvement, at least not right away. But I'm hiding you, and alerting your school to stop the trip. There is an informant there, and I don't know who. Since I can't just tell them where you are, I used my quirk. The yellow flower lets you walk between life and death. The orange one tethers someone to you so you can return." He said, spinning the flower they'd given Bakugou earlier. "I didn't have a lot of time, but I found the girl from your match, alone like you, on the way home nearby. It seemed fitting. She was the only one you seemed happy to fight, so my apologies if the connection isn't strong enough. Lucky for you, this is the strongest time of year for my quirk, in these days of the dead. Although, the guide will ask you to stay, so be ready."

Overcome with some relief, Bakugou felt a bit of himself return. Finally, something he could fight. But still..."Are you kidding me? Round Face?! If that's what it takes to get back then fuck it, I'll figure it out on my own."

Xochitl then lifted Bakugou's body and gently placed it in the hole and began to cover it.

Bakugou's anger resurfaced, unsure how to verify if what Xochitl said was true.

"The flower will live a bit longer here, but once it's dead, you die too, and right now, Mictecacihuatl will gladly accept you into the underworld. You have two, maybe three days at the most, so you need to hurry. You are in Hinode Park."

"Hinode Park." Bakugou recited.

"The girl needs to find you, burn the flowers and call your name, to lead you back."

"Okay." He responded, despite his condition.

"Once you're out, lay low and call the police to check on your family and get you before you contact U.A. That's your safest shot right now." Xochitl nodded, looking as though they were going through a mental checklist. "And, don't waste this, cause I don't use my flowers for just anybody. Once I pick them, they never grow back. And I just couldn't let them hurt kids." They smiled, finishing their task. "I might not be a hero, but I'm not a damn villain either. So, fuck Dabi."

"Dabi?" Bakugou said the name in confusion.

"I know it sounds stupid, but seriously, just use your heart as a guide, and what you know of your classmate..." Xochitl missed the dismissive tsk Bakugou interrupted with, "...and you'll make it out of this." With the last word, Xochitl tucked the flower neatly above Bakugou's body and walked away.

"Good luck Bakugou Katsuki. Do what you seem to do best and win. I'll do what I can to stop the rest."


	2. Tether

In this chapter, Bakugou does what he can to make Uraraka notice him.

* * *

Bakugou didn't know where to go from here.

An entire day was almost over, and he had nothing to show for it.

He'd stopped by home first, to test if Xochitl was telling the truth about the quirk and how it worked.

When Bakugou arrived, his father was nowhere in sight, and his mother had just been advised by the school not to contact anyone, or ask around about her son - to simply let things play out.

Despite the tough exterior she always put forward, her worry trickled like a crack in a levy, slowly leaking across everything.

He tried following, calling out to his mother as she calmly walked from the kitchen to her room. But once she was through her bedroom door the depth of heat and anguish that crashed through the threshold hurt him, shooting straight through the emptiness of his ghostly existence, overwhelming and permeating every crevice of his home, leaving him unable to get near her.

So he left.

It took some time wandering just to shake the sensation of her pain away. She was a fucking pillar of strength. She wasn't supposed to crack.

He hated being the reason for it, but he would never have guessed that she'd feel this so deeply. She had always said it was showing weakness.

When he got back he'd have to give that woman a piece of his mind.

Eventually, he stopped by Kirishima's thinking, if it worked, at least he wouldn't have to get buddy-buddy with Uraraka to come back to life. But no dice.

similar to his mother's, Kirishima's energy seemed to override everything else around him as he went from one activity to the next, prepping and training for the upcoming trip that was surely about to be canceled.

This, for some reason, was unsurprising to Bakugou.

If Kirishima didn't work then he wouldn't bother trying Kaminari or Sero, "Not like those idiots would know what to do," Bakugou thought, really wishing Xochitl had given the flower to anyone he gave a minutiae of a shit about instead of Uraraka.

Nonetheless, finding her indeed seemed to be the thing that would save him.

 _Fucking how though?_

The clock ticked on as he wandered from place to place in the hopes of finding her.

After listening to and overhearing so many of the stupid triad of nerds conversations between Uraraka, Iida, and Deku, he thought he should know where to look.

Uraraka was driven, by what he couldn't be sure, but she thought deeply about training and school, and clearly strategized well on her own if the festival was anything to go by.

Maybe Xochitl was onto something with Uraraka.

That fight had been great - one of the highlights of the year for him. She'd gone all out and pulled him right along with her. Before she'd tapped, he was wondering how Todoroki would top it, what with half-in-half lacking any kind of passion.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad being… _assisted_ by Uraraka.

Just like that, something jarred him.

Like a pulse replacing his absent heartbeat, a tug in his chest set him on a path. Something he felt more than knew. Twisting and turning down alleyways and busy streets until he came to a small complex, up onto the second floor, and into Uraraka's cramped apartment where she sat enjoying dinner with her parents.

As expected, they continued eating, unaware of his arrival save for a sudden flick of Uraraka's concerned gaze around the room. The atmosphere was light, a little on edge but otherwise, Bakugou felt optimistic about his task.

In the kitchen space, on top of a rack full of pots and dishware, sat a small cup with a yellow flower, confirming that Xochitl had indeed met Uraraka.

That was all he needed to be sure this would work.

"Alright..." Bakugou said, stretching as if in preparation for a fight. "...let's get going, Round Face."

* * *

Being unable to touch things was making getting Uraraka's attention considerably fucking harder than expected.

None the less, Bakugou continued prodding while Uraraka and her parents chatted and played koi-koi all night.

At the very least, he got to hear her serious renditions of events and stories she told of their classmates, and the misadventures of class 1-A. Though it grated on his nerves how she talked up Deku, Iida, and Todoroki like they were hot shit.

"Yeh, it's so amazing because now he finally doesn't have to break his fingers every time he fights and then maybe he won't be so scared of Bakugou-kun."

"Oh, that boy. Don't get me started…"

"What's that old man…" Bakugou started, mid-flick of Uraraka's fringe.

"Papa! Please, not this again!"

"Well, you have to admit, your fight did seem a bit...violent. And then from what you tell us about how he still treats that poor Deku boy."

"No...err...yes, I know. But it's not...it's really complicated between them, I think. And I've talked to Bakugou-kun about it. Even though he doesn't like the things I have to say, I know he still hears me because Bakugou treats me like equal." She defended, causing Bakugou to settle on his butt beside her, simultaneously affronted and surprised that she was defending him. "Yes, fighting him hurt, but he gave it his all, and because he did that I was able to do the same. He's so cool and powerful; I want to be that too! I can't wait to fight him again! I was hoping camp would give us another chance, but now that it's canceled, I'll just have to keep working hard so that when we do fight again, I'll win." She said with a smile, heat, and determination twinkling in her eyes.

Bakugou's razor-sharp grin split across his lips at the unexpected praise and excitement in her declaration, and the same thrill he felt during their match bloomed in his veins, thrumming under his skin. "Bring it, Cheeks!"

Uraraka gasped, clutching at her chest momentarily in a way that instantly shifted Bakugou's emotions, splashing him with the same confusion and chill he felt when he watched her go down after their match.

"Alright there tiger, I didn't mean to work you up." Her dad said coming over to rub circles into her back and make sure she was okay. "You're all we've got so it's tough not to worry. But I can't argue with that look in your eye." Her father said a bit tiredly.

Bakugou quirked a brow at the older man.

"We'll clean up Chako, you go ahead and do whatever you usually do before bed." Her mother called after her.

"Chako? Heh." Bakugou chuckled at her nickname.

"Thanks, Mama, I'll try to be quick." She said, looking unnerved, retreating into the bathroom. Bakugou didn't even consider following as his eyes checked the time on her cell phone.

With the evening drawing to a close, he had exhausted every idea he could think of to bother her. Trolling her with trash talk while she sat with her parents, poking through her and stomping around - all to no avail.

She clearly felt something.

But he still couldn't reach her.

* * *

After some time, Uraraka emerged from the bath in loose violet pants and a tank top, looking refreshed, carrying the soft scent of her shampoo with her.

Her parents had laid out futons while she bathed and Bakugou went to the sole room in the apartment, assuming Uraraka would be sleeping away from her parents.

The room was small, plain and sparse. A futon beside a desk with a small monitor atop it, drawers, a small sliding closet for her bed things and some clothes.

Exhausted, despite his condition, Bakugou just sat beside her desk, waiting and watching her hug and kiss her parent's goodnight before shutting the door behind her.

"Isn't that fucking sweet." He wrinkled his nose, thinking of how he still occasionally fought against his parent's attempts at affection. But the memory of his mother's emotions and the sound of her sob before he left his house hit him like a slap, and he sat uncomfortably in that feeling, unsure of what to do.

Uraraka, oblivious to him, slipped under her blankets, her mood completely changed from the one she put up for her parents as she clicked off the lamp. The cheery facade was gone, replaced by a sullen expression he didn't know what to make of.

Completely aware that he was seeing a classmate in a vulnerable position, Bakugou felt like he was just now realizing he was a ghost, invading her home, a meter away, witnessing some conflict play out at a time most people let things get to them.

"Go to sleep Round Face, whatever you're thinking, just stop." He commanded, wanting to get rid of his discomfort.

She sighed and closed her eyes.

...

Strangely enough, almost as quickly as sleep took her, did Uraraka wake to the droning of a voice.

"What a lot of people probably don't realize is that the registration system wasn't the only reason Destro started gathering people with quirks to rebel against the government. If you read outside of textbooks, disappearances of people he knew, and rumors of experimentation being done by private companies, facilitated by corrupt politicians, did way more than just erode his trust in the systems being built..."

Rolling over, she cracked open her eyes just enough to see, none other than, Bakugou, sitting beside her, leaning against her desk, going on about the events that led to the development of the quirk registry, the villain Destro, and the Meta Liberation War like he was telling some kind of grim bedtime story.

Just a dream, She thought and smiled, strange as it was, snuggling in deeper, happy to listen to his seemingly bored yet content drawl and the gritty quality to his voice that sounded like a mean cat purring.

Dreams really must be built on the foundation of one's waking thoughts if Bakugou was here. After the festival, final exams and the special class, it was difficult to get out of her head how far she still had to improve, even if it seemed like he had some trust in her abilities.

He talked on, staring at the wall, sounding resigned.

Other than making her a bit sad, Uraraka thought it wasn't the worst dream she could be having. His cadence would help her get to another dream.

Just as she was falling back to sleep, he stopped, sighing in a way she'd never heard - like he was on the verge of defeat, and her eyes snapped open.

Even in her dreams, she wouldn't accept that, because the real Bakugou would never make that sound.

"Bakugou-kun…" she'd said, lifting up on an elbow to get a good look at him, tapping him on the knee. Ochako could swear she surprised him. Strange considering it was her room and dream. "Don't give up. That sound doesn't suit you. You're doing great," she whispered with a smile before turning back over, chuckling at the slight reddening of his ears under the light of her window.

"Wait, Uraraka." He whispered back harshly.

"Please, Bakugou-kun, I have to get up early to see my parents off. When I dream like this, I don't feel like I've slept at all."

"No, Uraraka, wait, it's really me! I need your help!"

She chuckled softly to herself. "Bakugou-kun wouldn't come to me for anything." She laughed again, this time a touch of melancholy riding the lilt as she thought of his raw strength, the heat of envy tugging at her heart. "'Sides, it's just studying. You're perfect." She sighed. "Night Bakugou-kun."

The sound of his ranting revved up.

Finding it much more comforting than whatever Bakugou was doing before, she closed her eyes, willing herself to dream different dreams.

* * *

Next Time: Bakugou is running out of time...


	3. Petals

This is probably a really good time to point out that this was originally a really short one-shot for a zine. I didn't make it into the zine, so I expanded and finished the story, and posted here. XD It's still relatively short and really just focuses on Kacchako development. (Even though I totally have a full background and everything for Xochitl and Dabi XD cause I'm a loon)

* * *

It'd been following her since yesterday evening.

The chill of something hovering around her form, like a perpetual game of I'm-not-touching-you turned eerie.

The only time Uraraka noticed it stopped was when she went into the toilet. So there she sat, figuring out how to make the apartment feel alright once her parents left.

Even more strange was a random dream where she'd been laying down one moment, and the next awakened by Bakugou-kun, casually reciting hero history in her apartment. Now that she was awake, she noticed little things that made it seem so real. The memory of it didn't have the same hazy edge that usually accompanied dreams, and now it felt like something was missing.

She was supposed to be heading to camp, but, since it was canceled, and they were advised to stay in their homes until further notice, there was nothing to do. They weren't given any reason why.

"Super weird. This chill, my dream, the trip. Everything feels funny."

A sharp knock on the door sent her hopping up off the seat, heart pounding and eyes darting around the tiny room.

"Okay, Ochako! We're headed out," Her mother's muffled voice said through the door. "You've been in there a lot today. You okay?"

"Sorry, I was just...thinking," Ochako said, rushing out, making it clear she hadn't been using the facility for its intended purpose.

"In the toilet room?"

"Yeh, I...get...my best ideas in there!" She exclaimed, unwilling to say what was bothering her as something cold slid by her, like the whisper of a laugh, and she jumped into her mother's arms for a hug.

The elder Uraraka squeezed tight. "Riiight." she laughed, "I'm sorry about your trip again my love. Let us know if you need anything. It's always fun to visit."

"Okay mama, thanks for the groceries and everything. I'll miss y'all so much."

"We'll miss you too Chako. Here's a bit of cash. Op op op op op...," Ochako's father quieted her with a wave before she could decline. "You're our daughter. We take care of you. Not the other way around." He winked, sliding the bills into her palm before bending down to settle a kiss on his only child.

"Thanks, papa. Love you!" She sighed while opening the front door to her tiny studio apartment. "Love you too mama!" She said embracing her mother one more time.

"Oh, and, I cut an aspirin into the flower that lovely person gave you yesterday. It was just too pretty not to help along."

Ochako turned to spy the orange bloom bursting like a personal ball of sun, its pom-pom shaped petals bringing her a sense of happiness.

"Thanks. Be safe." She said with a final wave before closing the door. When it clicked, she felt another chill, like something was waiting right behind it.

Ochako was sure her parents were gone. So why did it feel like she wasn't alone?

* * *

"Your parents are too nice. No wonder you're such a sap." Bakugou commented, standing beside her.

He watched her look at the money in her hand with a sigh. "What the fucks your problem?"

"I wish you would take care of yourselves first. I can do this." She said with a sad smile before stuffing the yen in a ceramic jar on her kitchenette counter.

"That's about the stupidest place to hide money." Bakugou continued his unheard commentary, bored out of his mind while he waited and hoped she'd hear him.

Since her 'dream' last night, she'd been shivering a lot more when he touched or got near. Maybe it was the night, or her lowered conscious state, or something he couldn't explain, but for those moments last night, she had **seen** him.

She touched him.

He was just pissed that she dismissed him so easily. Not that he could disagree with anything she said if the circumstances weren't so fucking weird.

But there was hope. Now that Uraraka was alone, he could push a little harder.

"Ugh. What now? I was really looking forward to training." She sighed again, whirling around and trust falling onto her still laid out futon.

"Yeh, you need it," Bakugou smirked standing above her. "I want that rematch."

She looked up, quirking an eyebrow around the room again, looking dead at the place where he stood before dropping her head back down, wriggling and shaking like she'd felt a feather trailing her skin.

Bakugou chuckled, and for a singular instant lingered again on how present he was in her space. This was Uraraka when she thought she was alone. Just as weird and unfortunately just as cute with her eyes shut tight, wearing a tank top and leggings, making faces at the presence she so obviously felt.

"Damn that Bakugou and this...thing!" She shook once more.

Bakugou's eyes went wide, checking himself over, wondering if he'd suddenly become corporeal again.

"I don't need camp! I can train right here. I'll just...work out and lift things for as long as I can. I can still get stronger! I just need some motivation!" She proclaimed, jumping up and opening the laptop on her kotatsu, clicking through to something and holding a hand to her heart.

That weird thing that led him to her jumped at her words, like a throb somewhere deep inside. "Stupid Uraraka. I didn't do shit to you."

Of course, she didn't respond, but he heard the sound of Present Mic fill the room from her computer and took a seat beside her instead.

 _"From the hero course, it's Bakugou Katsuki! Versus - she's the one I'm rooting for, Uraraka Ochako!_ Eighth _match, start!"_

Enthralled, he toggled between watching her reactions and reliving the match from the Sports Festival. She displayed equal parts awe and mortification.

From this perspective, he could understand how bad it looked. But watching her determination was a sight. She was driven. Looked absolutely riled up, just as in-it-to-win-it as him and it was exciting.

He didn't know her well, but since their fight and being here with her, he felt like he did. There was a spark in her he didn't see near enough. And he wondered why he let someone like Deku get in the way of simply talking to her so he could pull it out.

As if punctuating his thought, the cord between them jerked hard, and if he had breath, he would've lost it at the way she looked right into him with a gasp before turning back to the screen.

He grew uncomfortable at the thought of what triggered the pull between them.

When the part where she released her meteor shower came, Uraraka put her hand over the space bar, waiting. Then she paused and replayed over and over the part where he blew her attack away.

At first, it was amusing.

But he watched her grow more frustrated with each replay, fist curling tight into the sheet of her futon. By the tenth replay, he placed a hard stare on her, trying to figure out what the fuck she wanted to glean.

Just as the frame on the screen switched to the wide angle view of his explosive counter, she paused a final time, and covered her face, sliding her fingers through her hair, ending with a hard tug on her fringe.

"I wasn't even close." Her voice cracked, both of them feeling the tug.

As annoying as it was to see her start to fall apart over this, he knew that frustration, he dealt with it now more than ever with Deku. "Nah, you got real fuckin' close."

Truth or not, Bakugou wasn't even sure why he was saying anything. It's not like she could hear.

Maybe it was the boredom. Or the feeling of being ignored.

He felt so close to...something, so why not?

"He didn't break a sweat." she groaned, grabbing her pillow and plopping her head into it to groan some more. "At least not a bad one," she mumbled.

"You got me going Round Face. Honestly. If you'da held out, we could've at least gone hand-to-hand." If it'd been him, he'd explode anyone trying to console him. He didn't need to be coddled.

Uraraka shuddered and waved a hand through where he sat. "No. Stop feeling sorry for yourself Ochako! You'll never beat his smug face like this. Let's get to it!"

Bakugou shivered back.

As he should've known, Uraraka didn't need coddling either.

She pulled a set of adjustable weights, the kind that nested into each other, from a closet and began to stretch. Bending and pulling, tightening and rotating every muscle, joint and limb, she prepped her body for the workout ahead. Then she set to it, going through sets of lunges, leg-lifts, pushups, and situps.

Bakugou was impressed when she started adding the weights to everything.

She stayed busy while he critiqued her form, encouraged her during reps, talked shit when she looked like she wanted to stop, occasionally forcing her to pause to shake herself, or clench her chest. It emboldened him when the tug seemed to make her physically ache.

When it finally looked like she was going to slow down, she attached all the weights to form a pair about 23 kilos heavy.

He guffawed when she took in a giant gulp of air, puffed her cheeks, activated her quirk on the weights and herself, and floated to the ceiling with her legs scrunched, hugging the weights to her like a pillow.

"Do you always look this ridiculous exercising your quirk?!" He snickered, unable to take how serious she looked just bobbing in the air like a floaty on water, trying and failing to hold back his laughter.

What he didn't notice was her looking around, and the sudden chill overtaking the room.

"Hello? Is...someone there?" She said aloud, maneuvering to lift the weights in preparation for a throw.

Joining in Uraraka's search, Bakugou felt a surge of something within and around him, consuming the space in almost the same way his mother had done to his home. "Uraraka?"

Her eyes rolled back a bit as she shook her shoulders, hit hard by the new presence, seemingly frozen in place.

"It's nothing Ochako; it's all in your head."

"What the hell…" Bakugou started before he saw the walls bleeding shadows that coalesced into a point at the center of the room. It was like the sun at high noon, destroying the shadows, save for the one spot before him.

Uraraka pulled her legs higher, her body lifting until she was completely flat against the ceiling like a fly on the wall. She closed her eyes.

"Bestrongbestrongbestrongbestrong." She whispered to herself, still holding the weights, looking like she wanted to meld into the drywall.

She couldn't see what Bakugou could.

Something not quite human and not quite dog-like took shape from the shadows, no features except points of light for eyes and a long tongue, causing Bakugou to get low, preparing for a fight.

 _"Niltze._ " The shadow said in a foreign tongue before speaking in Japanese.

 _"The farther you go, the more you return,* Bakugou Katsuki. A ring of petals has fallen. Are you ready to enter paradise to the east?"_

"Not a chance."

 _"Then you have until the last falls. It wilts as it wills, dimming you. In these days of the dead, the goddess oversees all, and I will guide you home when the time comes."_

"You can try."

 _"Are you certain you do not wish to follow now? Warriors are_ _welcome home to ride the glorious sunrise. And in this, the Land of The Rising Sun, one could not find a more fitting son."_

"I am going back home. She's bringing me back." Bakugou said, pointing to Uraraka, now turning pale as she breathed through the exertion of her quirk, looking paralyzed by the overwhelming presence in her room.

 _"Cualli."_ The figure bowed and dissipated, returning the shadows to normal, leaving Bakugou feeling winded, like the thing had taken something from him.

Examining his body, he felt lighter and less solid than before, noting his form was no longer opaque.

There hadn't been a real sense of urgency until now. He'd wasted all this time. If those many petals were already lost from his flower, then the others couldn't hope to last much longer. It was a flower, after all, delicate, and not meant to be plucked unless you wanted it to die.

"Uraraka. I think I was fucking around a bit too much earlier. But I'm ready now. I really need you to hear me." He said to the girl above him. For once he was glad his heart wasn't beating because he was sure it'd be racing. Desperate for Uraraka of all people to notice him.

With the weight of the presence gone, she swiftly crawled across the ceiling toward the bathroom, releasing the dumbbells with a gentle push to the floor.

When she reached the door, she pressed her fingers together, mumbling, "Release," so that the weights crashed the rest of the way and she swung down hard, half kicking the door in and landing, rushing to the toilet.

The sounds of her retching filled the apartment, and Bakugou sneered as the door slammed shut and the shower started.

* * *

The * is part of a story that I can't remember the name of, but it's not mine. It seemed fitting though, since, ya know, staying as-is means he dies.


	4. Katsuki!

Desperate, Bakugou finally reaches Uraraka. But it's not enough to just be heard; she needs to feel for him too.

As I said, this was originally a one-shot that got expanded. It's occurring over a 2, almost 3, day period. So this is it! She really needs to find him. Stat.

* * *

"I gotta get out of here." Uraraka breathed raggedly to herself, wrapping up in a towel to fetch fresh clothes from her closet. The shower hadn't done much to scrub the fear off of her.

Though, stepping out of the bathroom wasn't as bad as she expected. The strong thing from earlier was definitely gone, but the shadow of something lingered, and it was freaking her out.

When she dropped the towel, a flare of the specter shocked her skin and her arm hairs raised. She quickly slipped on her summer dress and undershorts, her fear turning to anger.

This was her home, and she wanted it back.

"Shit Cheeks! Seriously." Bakugou growled out, slamming his hands over his eyes. Annoyed that he was unable to shake the image of her curves and strong lines from his mind.

In his outburst and delayed response to her naked form, he didn't see her notice him. "Okay! That's it! Show yourself! I know I'm not crazy!" She yelled, looking around, waiting to see something happen.

Surprised, he turned back to her, getting in her face. "I'm right here. I've been trying to reach you, and I don't know what the fuck else to do Uraraka. You...you gotta...help me…" he strained a bit, hating his reliance on her.

She stood, still unseeing.

"Please." He added. Hoping somehow this quirk would course-correct if he was nice enough.

He needed this to work. But the silence between them left him to sit in the unsettling feelings within.

Seeing the light bouncing off the honey of her eyes, the minute movement of her full lips as she breathed, the resolve she held herself with struck him heavy. He was growing too used to this ache. At this point, he couldn't deny he found it pleasant. Found her pleasant.

This girl…."Uraraka…" he choked out, staggering back at their proximity, shutting down whatever awful ache was churning inside him while she clenched her chest, feeling something too.

But he just wanted out. Not to feel...this.

After a moment, both of them realized nothing was happening.

But where Uraraka retreated to her room and under the blanket of her futon for comfort. Bakugou slowly simmered in rage.

Then he exploded.

"Come on Uraraka! Aren't you the fuckstick that thinks you know everything about me?! Huh!? You wanna fight me?! Huh? THEN HEAR ME, GODDAMMIT! I'm right here, and I need your help!" He swore, violently stomping around the apartment, smacking into things he couldn't quite touch, purposefully disturbing everything in his path until he reached her, laying down beside her on the floor next to her bed, practically nose-to-nose, angry tears in his eyes. "I'M DYING!"

Uraraka sat up, eyes scanning the floor.

There was an echo of something fierce and familiar that she'd felt before, right in front of her.

It was like having a word on the tip of her tongue and being unable to recall it.

Whatever this was, this thing she could feel, it was loud and full of...rage. Not legitimately intimidating but just the flash of it, like a show of force without a battle. Something she recognized.

She did.

She...knew this. Would know this anywhere.

It was so familiar, so very…

"...Bakugou-kun?"

Something inside her snapped.

Bakugou jumped up to her level, sitting on his knees before Uraraka to put his hands up to the sides of her face, letting his fingers touch her as if he could direct her attention to him, hoping it helped.

Uraraka blinked slowly at the sensation and the usual chill surfaced across her skin.

"YES!" Bakugou exclaimed, blinking rapidly in relief.

"Bakugou-kun!" She gasped, closing her eyes, straining to hear as something echoed inside her again.

She waited.

Daring to hope, he spoke again, "Yes! Uraraka, please tell me you hear me."

"Oh my god?! What...what's happening? What is this?" She asked into the empty space before her, hearing Bakugou's voice as if they were separated by a kilometer long tunnel.

"Uraraka, it's a quirk! I'm dying! I need you to take your flower and find my body! There's not a whole lotta time!"

"It...it is you! Bakugou-kun, was that really you last night too?! I'm so sorry!" She apologized, guilt-ridden about her reaction to him earlier. "Who did this to you?! I can...get the police, the teachers - we can stop them, they won't get away with this!"

If it were possible, he knew his heart would have clutched at her words. But there wasn't time to think about it. "NO! LISTEN! Someone did this to protect me. Just take your flower, the orange one! Find me! I'm buried at Hinode Park, somewhere marked by a yellow flower that looks the same. When you do, burn both flowers, and I'll come back."

"Hinode?! That's...just two blocks over. I... don't understand…"

"It is?!" He shook his head, frustrated with how close he'd been from the beginning, "Nevermind. You don't need to understand. Just go! That big thing you felt earlier wanted me to go with them, and when my flower dies, I don't have a choice."

"O...okay." Looking confused and a little broken, Uraraka lept up, rushing into the kitchen to pluck her flower from the cup.

He watched as she frantically searched a drawer, pulling something out and then grabbed a small purse and keys before sprinting out the front door. And just like before, whatever brought him to her went taut like a string and pulled him along with her.

"Are you there? Bakugou-kun?" She asked, feet traversing stairs and leaving the property, running the short distance to the park. "This is so strange. Are you sure you're at Hinode?"

"Yeh, Xochitl must've kept me near you to make it easy." He followed.

"Well, that's dangerous. Anyone could find you there." She huffed at the news, picking up the pace as she entered the park, "Who is Xochitl?"

"Someone on our side. Listen, I'm not sure where I am, so just...you have to try and find me."

"How?" She asked, crashing through the tree line of a densely wooded area at the entrance of the park, already scanning the ground.

"I…," he thought for a moment, unsure, or unwilling to accept that he finally knew the pattern, "think about me. Anything...good."

"Good?"

Bakugou tsked at that. "Listen, I know I…haven't been…"

"...No, it's okay. Don't worry Bakugou-kun. I think I understand. It just surprised me." She waved him off, her cheeks growing a shade darker as she prepared to reveal her deepest thoughts to the person she'd only said pieces out loud to.

He was counting on her, after all.

"You're Bakugou-kun! You're loud but cool." She searched, smacking away branches catching her hair, crunching the ground while jogging along, "Vulgar but funny. Confident and strong, but..." she hesitated. Running beside her, Bakugou listened in rapt attention. "but...sometimes weak at matters of the heart. Despite that, I'd switch places with you in a heartbeat if I could, just to know what it's like to win. To be amazing and crazy powerful…"

Something wrenched hard in their chests before she could continue.

Then, Uraraka suddenly knew exactly where to go. Like a hound catching a scent, she broke into a sprint.

"I...I can feel you." She said, hoping Bakugou was still near her.

The feeling grew as she got closer to him. Her heart pounded with a heaviness so overwhelming it hurt. It felt as though she could break down on the spot if she didn't stay focused.

"You're so close! Where are you!?" She cried out, the pull to him causing panic to rise in her throat as she frantically checked the ground. Feeling like she was on a precipice, the soles of her feet tingled with dread like she was missing steps on a stair. "How long have you been here?"

"Almost two days." He ran beside her.

She didn't respond, eyes finally spotting a large mound of freshly disturbed dirt with a pile of drying petals below a yellow flower a short distance away. "Oh god, Bakugou-kun." Uraraka gasped, running and sliding to a stop on her knees to dig at the soil, slowly revealing cool flesh, and ash-blonde hair, a small hiccup escaping her at the sight.

Bakugou buzzed, feeling her touch through his body, and watching light pool from every corner of the forest, concentrating next to Uraraka.

Her breath came out cold like winter somehow invaded the summer. Something was coming again.

"Hurry." He barked, eyeing her as she hurriedly dug through her bag.

"I know." She shivered, her body again reacting to the weight of the new presence very near.

Her trembling hands pulled out a match and struck it alight. Without hesitation, she placed her well-cared for blossom beside his and set them both ablaze, then vanished from his sight.

He grit his teeth, hiding his apprehension. "Uraraka?" He was somewhere, or nowhere, too dark to be soothing.

A form of dense light, part human, part snake-like, with eyes like voids, appeared.

 _"Niltze,"_ it greeted him.

"This is bullshit, she found me. So whaddya want now?" He asked, stance low and ready to fight for what was left of his life.

 _"Bakugou Katsuki…"_ The light hissed softly. _"I am only here to wish you new beginnings until we meet in the next cycle."_

"That's it? No tricks, I can leave?" He asked skeptically.

The figure hissed a broken laugh; it's black eyes gazing directly into him. _"Life and Death are ceaseless. There is no need for tricks. You will see me again one day, in some form or another."_

 _Tch._

 _"Much luck. Xiauh ica cualtzin."_

And with a rather polite bow, the form dissolved, taking the light with it, leaving Bakugou in pitch black and unable to move.

"Bakugou-kun?" He heard Uraraka shout from afar. "BAKUGOU-KUN! Please, wake up!" She shouted louder, strength and pain bleeding through her words. But he couldn't reach where she was, and it seemed she couldn't hear him anymore.

"Uraraka! Pull me out! I'm right here!" He implored, still unseeing and lost, feeling like he was floating away somewhere he'd never come down from.

In the dark he felt things, physical pain and pressure across what he assumed were his chest and lips.

It hurt. It ached so bad.

What was wrong? "Come on! Let me out of here! We did everything you asked!" He said, knowing full well Xochitl and those gods couldn't hear him. Or maybe they could, and they were laughing, mocking his predicament.

"You said I could go! She found me, she torched the flowers, she called for...me...fuck..." _Fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK!_

Of course. How well he and Uraraka knew each other, thinking warmly of each other - all of that seemed to be the biggest fucking deal for this quirk. Finishing the connection through his given fucking name would be some bullshit cherry on top.

"Uraraka! URARAKA! My name, you need to say my name!"

The echo of her desperate screams for him reverberated low and distant, like a signal slowly fading. The sound of it distressed him even more, hurt him somewhere deep, and he hated that she was experiencing it over him. It wasn't how his life was supposed to work.

The pressure on his chest didn't let up. Over and over like something was pushing and filling, pushing and filling - the heat of it filtering through insides he didn't have.

He was dying now, for sure, he knew it.

He needed to get out! Needed to reach her.

" **OCHAKOOOOO!"** He screamed into the abyss with every bit of his existence and strength he had left. "CALL FOR ME! SAY MY NAME - NOW!"

He waited in the silence, hoping. Wishing he could simply touch her. Because as weird as it seemed, he wanted to feel that wretched, satisfying, tug for her again. It was his only comfort in this madness, and the thought of it and all his feelings for anything and everything - leaving, frightened him.

"Katsuki-kun!" Her voice suddenly resounded around him, the echoes bouncing and booming through him as though he could feel her reaching out. He watched as the waves of sound set off a path of light before him, orange and bright, made of those stupid fucking flowers.

"Katsuki! Come back! Please! I've got you! I'm trying so hard!" He didn't miss the catch of her breath, the sob at the end like she didn't know what to do.

"Yes!" He ran, feeling that precious tug, the path rippling brightly with each of her words. He headed to something else he couldn't quite see, overwhelmed by a white-hot light.

Then a deep trembling gasp for breath filled the air.

"Uraraka." He wheezed, his open mouth grazing against soft flesh before he heard her gasp as he struggled to breathe. His hands reached up to grab whatever was so close while his eyes adjusted to the dim light in the forest.

Warm hands pulled on his, and before he knew it, he was being enveloped in an even warmer embrace.

"Katsuki-kun!" Uraraka cried, shoulders shuddering. "I'm sorry! I was trying so hard, but I couldn't hear you anymore. You went away, and you wouldn't wake. I tried chest compressions and everything. I was so worried! But, then I heard you one more time and you were barely there, and I said your name like you asked. Then it was just like magic! It was like I could feel myself grabbing onto you, somewhere inside! It was nuts!" She spilled out, breathing hard and fast, unable to hide her crying.

"Get off Chako!" He panted, sensing her body flex with tension. He tested a push against her, but nothing happened. His strength diminished.

"Oh! Uh sorry! Here, let me help." She apologized and wiped away tears on her brightening cheeks, too invested in his care to worry about something as silly as given names. She pulled him up while his mind processed and remembered how to function.

"Wow, you're freezing! Come on, let's get you to my apartment and call Aizawa sensei and your parents."

"No!" He inhaled raggedly, the labor of it too sharp still. "The police. First. Then U.A." It felt like his lungs were remembering how to take in air.

"Right! I gotcha, my quirk'll help." She wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled one of his over her shoulder so that he was suddenly weightless and being pulled along beside her.

Meaning, he didn't shy away from her hold.

Uraraka had no way to know this was a feat countless people had tried (mostly Deku) and failed at.

And for once he was content to be aided.

Out of the woods and into the sunlight, his body flipped to autopilot the couple of blocks there, eager to absorb Uraraka's heat, so it recharged his.

Along the way she used her phone to alert the police, Bakugou insisting they go to check on his parents to let them know he was alive.

When they finally stepped through the door of Uraraka's apartment, it felt strange and surreal.

They'd never interacted outside of school before, and yet here he was, welcomed like any other friend into her home, and not a ghost, or whatever.

"Sit down. I'll make something while we wait." She insisted, settling him on a cushion at her low table and releasing her quirk. He landed with a grunt while she went to her kitchenette, looking completely unsure about whatever she wanted to do.

"Now you're just pissing me off." He scoffed, getting up to push her out of the space.

He only needed a moment to catch up, not to be treated like a child that couldn't care for himself.

Uraraka gawked as he took the tools from where her parents put them away the night before to start cooking, dismayed at what his knowledge implied.

"Relax. It's not a big deal."

"It is to me. You were here long enough, and I didn't even notice." She frowned in concern, pulling a chair closer to monitor him. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." He snapped, "Just need to think about what to do next." He said, already itching to find Xochitl and figure out why he was targeted.

"And you did notice; you were just really fucking slow." He said aloud, ignoring what had actually triggered all their moments of real connection. "I think the quirk was meant for family members or people that are already really close to help each other. So it's okay. We did the best we could with a little less than a day to spare. It's over now." He sighed.

For now, he just wanted to do something normal, and concentrate on how good it felt to get out of that quirk. Despite his indifferent demeanor, he felt a bit giddy and neede to let it out.

"Well, I'm glad. You scared me back there." She responded, sounding like she was about to cry again. "And…"

Pulling items from her fridge, he shut the door with a bang, trying to stop her from putting words to anything they experienced. "Don't go gettin' mushy and shit, everything's fine now."

"No! It's not okay Ka...Bakugou-kun."

He stalled at the sound of his name, fingers buzzing.

"You could've...we…I...I almost didn't get my rematch!" She stuttered out, the bite of her words making him stop his food prep altogether.

She looked perfectly fucking serious, and he knew it wasn't what she initially wanted to say. And as much as he was afraid to hear what she really thought, all he could do was let out an ugly, stilted, hissing version of a cackle that he tried to hide behind a hand.

Unwillingly, she cracked a confused smile. "What's so funny about this?" She'd never seen him laugh.

"I almost died Round Face. That's insensitive as fuck." He sputtered harder.

But he found it difficult even to pretend to give a shit as she stepped toward him looking guilty as all get out.

"Relax Cheeks, I'm joking."

She chuckled, feeling a bit bashful. "Oh good, I...figured. I err...didn't know how to say…"

"That'd you'd miss the hell outta me if I died." He grinned evilly, his shoulders shaking off the remnants of laughter.

She huffed, the redness of her cheeks so deep she could signal traffic. Stealing the veggies from him, she pulled a knife from a drawer, which he then plucked from her grip before pushing her aside.

"Don't worry about it. Death itself couldn't keep me from handing your ass to you again. If that's what you want." He said, working diligently to ignore her wide-eyed stare.

She remained silent, looking flustered enough for the both of them.

He couldn't deny that damn tug was still there. Somewhere between them, begging him to fully face her.

Shit, he thought that would be over and done with once he was back.

"By the way..." he said, focused intently on chopping while she marveled at his skill, hoping to distract himself from this feeling. "...Uraraka…"

But, so what? He felt what he felt, big deal. Maybe the thing in the light from earlier was right.

"Yes?"

This was just a new beginning.

"...Thanks."

Uraraka's cheeks puffed, happiness tugging at the corners of her lips, and Bakugou's heart really did thud this time, with nothing to blame but his own damn body.

Not to say he wouldn't try to make excuses.

 _Stupid flowers._

* * *

XD And that's that. His kidnapping was foiled, the trip was canceled, his family was untouched, the villains had no recourse or way to reach him, and now UA can be sure about the existence of the traitor way sooner. Plus they have my OC on their side XD Mwahaha.

I don't know how this would change the story, whether it's good or bad, all I know is I got my kacchako in the end. I mean, they don't get together here, but, starting to realize you like someone...a lot...XD is good enough for me. XD And my culture was a decent-ish plot device for these hopeless kids to find each other (although I do have soooo much in background for Xochtil because I love them sooo much! and I think they are such a cool person)


End file.
